"I just didn't put in the hard work that I needed" - Blake Cooper says he shot himself in the foot in Maurice Abevi clash
Blake Cooper looks to bounce back in a big way at ONE 167, where he could secure a huge win in his MMA career. The 27-year-old athete debuted in ONE Championship last September with plenty of promise behind him.
With some impressive wins before making his way to the promotion, some solid amateur pedigree, and coming from a family of fighters, Cooper was hoping to hit the ground running.
His debut at ONE Fight Night 14 didn't exactly go to plan as he was stopped by Maurice Abevi in the opening round. Blake Cooper attributes this defeat at the Singapore Indoor Stadium to some problems he caused himself in regard to cutting corners in training camp.
He told ONE Championship in a recent interview that he learned some vital lessons from this fight:
"I feel like I could have prepared a lot more for that fight. I felt like I was doing good up until my body kind of just gave out. I got tired, man. I just didn't put in the hard work that I needed to do, and I got tired. It's just as simple as that."
Blake Cooper has the opportunity to put the past behind him on June 7
Debuting against a highly regarded contender in Maurice Abevi was a big spot for Blake Cooper on his ONE Championship debut. However, even in defeat, his next one is set to be even bigger as he returns to the Impact Arena in Bangkok.
Cooper will be looking to welcome elite submission grappler Kade Ruotolo into the pro-MMA ranks when the youngest ADCC world champion makes the jump.
The ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion has already demonstrated his elite skillset plenty of times in the promotion. Now, he is looking to embark on a new challenge, one that begins with facing Cooper in what could be the first of many MMA contests.
ONE 167 will air live from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 7. Active Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America can catch all the action live and for free in U.S. primetime.